When it comes to the armor of God the first thing that we put on is the “belt of truth,” because the armor that is put on after is dependent on the belt. It holds everything else in place. But what is meant by ‘truth’ here? Some say that we need to have a spirit of sincerity and truthfulness in us, and this is important, but is this the “belt” that we are to put on, the belt of sincerity and truthfulness?

I know that the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, but could the Word of God be the “belt of truth” as well? Comparing Scripture with Scripture seems to bring this out. The text above about truth setting us free in John 8 is referring to His Word of Truth and continuing in His teaching.

In 1 Corinthians 16:13 “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave and be strong.” The word ‘faith’ brings out the idea of the truthfulness of God: His Word. We are to stand fast in His Word. This is important because truth here is dealing with the Word of God; we are to be mastered by this truth because this is what holds us together in this battle that we are faced with, and that also holds in place all the other pieces of armor that we are to put on.

Again, I reiterate the importance of the Word of God and so we can understand why the enemy wants it out of the way. This is why it was banned from schools and is now becoming banned from public offices, etc. This is the reason why the enemy wants to take down the Ten Commandments from the public square. The battle today is a battle over the Word of God. The enemy will try to confuse us, create uncertainty to weaken and hinder God’s people in this battle. The devil is a liar, murderer and will do all that he can to discredit the Word of God.

Throughout church history we can see how the enemy is always trying to work doubt in our minds, just like he did with Eve when he asked: “Did God really say?” We saw how important the promises of God are, but this is where Satan comes to bring doubt. We must always remember that “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19)

When Jesus closed his Sermon on the Mount, He brought out the example of two men and two houses. One built his house on the sand (without a firm foundation) and when the storms of life began to blow – that house did not stand. The other man built his house on solid rock (Christ’s teaching, the Word of God) and in the storms of life that house stood firm.

So, we must ask ourselves: What ‘belt’ do we have girded around our loins? Is it the belt of truth, the Word of God? Or is it the fads of today, being ‘our truth,’ or whatever the ‘power to be’ might tell us what truth is? It is of utmost importance to make sure that we have the right answer to this question.

We live today in a postmodern world where there is no absolute truth. A book written by Sharyl Attkisson called THE SMEAR shares how shady political operatives and the “fake news” control what you see, what you think and how you vote. This has become a billion-dollar industry employing thousands of people to do one thing and one thing only and that is to smear one another’s opponent and in the process – truth be dammed. So truth has become what people think it is.

What happens when God’s truth is cast aside? One: words have no meeting. Things made out of words such as our laws, vows, contracts, etc. have no true meaning.

Two: Values have changed. Sacrifice, loyalty, morality, accountability, has changed to independence, personal happiness, tolerance, comfort, instant gratification, and the right to make one’s own choices.

Three: We see that image is more important than substance.

Four: Character is not important anymore.

Five: There is no such thing as evil.

Six. We make decisions by following our heart, which the Word of God says is deceitful, no one knows their own heart like God. (Jeremiah 11:8)

Seven: There is no real story giving us the beginning and end. Nothing makes sense. Everything is in bits and pieces.

In this spiritual battle, we see the importance of the BELT OF TRUTH. It holds everything else in place.